Internet subscribers have a certain expectation of the quality of their experience using the Internet, whether the subscriber is reviewing web pages or streaming video. With video streaming representing a greater and greater share of Internet traffic, there are often issues with network and provider capability and capacity to deliver video at a quality level that is acceptable to the subscriber. When video quality degrades or is experienced at a lower quality level than is expected, subscribers may complain and may look to other providers to satisfy their Internet connection needs.
As QoE is traditionally considered a subjective measure, it is difficult to properly quantify. Relying on subscribers' opinions and scoring may not be an achievable solution as it may be unavailable and insufficient. Even if subscriber opinion could be obtained easily, a content provider generally cannot wait for subscribers' input to fix a problem in the network, because for each subscriber who complains, many more experience the problem and may simply switch providers because subscribers who are unhappy with their service are more likely to switch providers. Switching providers, or “customer churn”, creates a high cost for the content provider and content providers typically try and avoid customer churn.
As Internet traffic becomes more congested and more complex, there remains a need for improved systems and methods for determining the quality of media streaming in a computer network.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.